
BY LINA SMALL HARRIS AND VALERIA HARRIS 





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TONE AND TOINETTE 


IN THE TROPICS 



< III 





ONY AND 


OINETTE 



BY LINA SMALL HARRIS AND VALERIA HARRIS 

ll 


ILLUSTRATED BY MARGRETTE OATWAY DORNBUSCH 


ALBERT WHITMAN & CO., CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1939 


COPYRIGHT 1939, 


ALBERT WHITMAN & CO. 


' W SA -Z2. 




PRINTED IN U. S. A. BY R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS CO. 


To Gail, Sally, and Bobby 
















INTRODUCTION 


This little book is written by a mother and 
daughter 3 a pair of intrepid travelers who 
had so many good times on a West Indies trip 
that they thought it might be fun to share their 
experiences with some of their young friends 










CONTENTS 


I. THE START M 

II. BERMUDA 16 

III. ST. KITTS 19 

IV. NEVIS 23 

V. ANTIGUA 27 

VI. MONTSERRAT 29 

VII. DOMINICA 31 

VIII. ST. LUCIA 36 

IX. BARBADOS 40 

X. ST. VINCENTS AND GRENADA 43 

XI. TRINIDAD, Two Parts 48 

XII. TOBAGO, Two Parts 58 

XIII. MARTINIQUE, Two Parts 70 

XIV. ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHNS 81 

XV. HOMEWARD BOUND 87 









/. The Start 



HE SNO W was falling quietly on the window sills and against 
the panes of the snug little house up on Beacon Hill while young 
Dr. and Mrs. Brown, and Mopsey and Popsey were having a very 
animated discussion. “It simply couldn’t be done,” said Mrs. 
Brown, almost upsetting her cup of tea. “The children are far too 
young for a trip like that.” 

“Nonsense,” said Grandma and Grandpa Brown, called Mop¬ 
sey and Popsey by their grandchildren. “We have had them down 
on the Cape and at Gloucester and—” 

“Yes,” said Dr. Brown, “I believe they often have a better time 
with you older people than with us or their own playmates.” 

“Of course,” said Mopsey, reaching for another cup of tea, “we 
have more leisure to play with them and besides, after having 
measles and a bad cold, Tony and Toinette should have the change 
and go to the tropics with us.” 

“It could be done with the least possible effort,” said Popsey, “as 
the lovely ‘Lady Boats’ dock right here in Boston and in four days 
we would be in the warmth and sunshine.” 



Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
“Of course you would take Arabella,” queried Mrs. 
Brown, “as the children could hardly get along without 
her, nor could you in the long run.” 

Arabella was a gentle, middle-aged Jamaican 
woman who had been with the Brown family many 
years and loved them each and all as her own people. 

Just then a great commotion was heard in the hall— 
laughing and a shout of “Mopsey and Popsey are here 
for tea” and in burst snow-flecked Toinette and roly- 
poly Tony. They hurled themselves at their grand¬ 
parents knowing they usually had some sort of delight¬ 
ful surprise in store for them; little realizing this time what a great 
one it would turn out to be. Popsey stood before the fireplace and 
commanded the situation, of course, with a few interruptions from 
Mopsey. He was telling the children they wanted to take them on a 
trip to the West Indies and show them strange, beautiful, and warm 
spots good for little people who have not been quite well. 

“Oh boy, boy!” shouted Tony, jumping up and down. 

“What about my school?” asked the more 
serious Toinette. 

“I have a map with me,” said Popsey, “and I 
am sure you’ll learn so much about geography 
and many other things that when you return 
you’ll lead your classes.” 

With that he unfolded a large map and upon 
the blue waters were dots of different sizes and col- 





The Start 


x 3 


ors, a bewildering chain of tiny islands extending away down to the 
northeast coast of South America, the lesser Antilles and the Wind¬ 
ward and Leeward Islands. Such a project could not be resisted; the 
children again flung themselves upon their grandparents. Popsey’s 
glasses fell from his nose; Mopsey’s hat slipped quite rakishly over 
one ear; and with that it was all considered settled except for the 
final arrangements for the actual day of departure. 

Two weeks later Browns of all descriptions were assembled at 
the dock to see Mopsey, Popsey, Tony and Toinette off, and Ara¬ 
bella. There were their sisters, their cousins and their aunts, to say 
nothing of numerous friends. Dr. and Mrs. Brown, if one used a 
scrutinizing eye, were a little sad. But when they saw the beautiful 
staterooms they couldn’t help but become very excited. Tony was 
so busy talking to all of his friends that he barely had 
time to really say good-bye to his Mother and Father. 

He promised to bring back a large turtle to 
Frankie Henderson and a humming bird 
to Lucy Jackson. 

“The ship is sailing in five 
minutes. All visitors ashore, 
please,” was heard suddenly, 
echoing throughout the 
ship. 

Oh my, what con¬ 
fusion ! Trunks 

and suitcases were 
























!4 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

banged on the decks. People called last minute good-byes, stew¬ 
ards rushed around to see that everything was in order. Toinette 
clung to Mrs. Brown tearfully and made her promise to write al¬ 
most every day to tell her what all her playmates were doing. Fi¬ 
nally all the visitors were on shore, the gang plank was lifted into 
position, the engines which had been going for some time began to 
make more noise as the ship swung gracefully away from the dock. 
To everyone’s distress, Tony was standing on the rail waving his 
cap and screaming farewells. Popsey was very pleased with every¬ 
thing as you could always tell by an extra little wrinkle which ap¬ 
peared by the side of his nose. 

Until lunch time the Browns were all very busy watching Boston 
Harbor grow smaller and smaller until it seemed just like a thin 
strip of grey with a few bumps showing the larger buildings. Soon 
the ship passed the Government Post and was well on its way out 
into the ocean. 

Luncheon downstairs was quite exciting for both Tony and 
Toinette, as they could order anything they wanted. Toinette was 
especially pleased as she didn’t have to have her usual spinach to 
make her hair curly. 

“Well, children,” said Mopsey, “we’re really off. I only hope that 
you have as much pleasure on the trip as we have planned for you.” 

Arabella’s new straw hat waved its purple feather in agreement 
and Tony and Toinette voiced their hearty approval, in spite of 
large mouthfuls of fish. 

After luncheon everyone took a nap and then walked on deck, 


The Start 

round and round, as eleven laps made a mile. It was fun walking 
with the cold wind on one’s face and watching the waves slap noisily 
against the side of the ship. 

Tony and Toinette went to bed early that night as it had been 
a very strenuous day. During the night Toinette woke up and 
peered over at Mopsey who was fast asleep. She was rather afraid 
at the way the ship was rolling from side to side. Quietly she put 
on her bath robe and bunny slippers and tip-toed out in the hall to 
find Tony. Everything was quiet and she nearly bumped into the 
steward who was fast asleep in a corner behind a trunk. Then she 
felt rather guilty and went back to her state room, crept into her 
berth and fell fast asleep. 

In no time at all she heard, “Wake up, you sleepy head,” and 
Tony was bouncing on her bed. 

“Get dressed and hurry up on deck. It’s a galumptious day.” 

Toinette dressed in a shake of a lamb’s tail and was soon playing 
with Tony but she didn’t tell him what she had done the night 
before. ’Tween you and me he had done the same thing, half an 
hour later, also being a little frightened. 


ii. Bermuda 


ONE AND TOINETTE were more than glad when they 
passed the government buildings and slowly came into the harbor 
of Hamilton. How exciting it was to see only horse and mule carts 
and no automobiles whatsoever. With yelps of delight the young¬ 
sters tore down the gangplank and were running to the street before 
Mopsey and Popsey could say “Jack Robinson.” 

“Toinette, look at all the cute little donkeys. Look at all the bi¬ 
cycles. Look at all the colored people!” cried Tony as they scam¬ 
pered down the street. 

Just then a bicycle whizzed around a corner and banged into 
Tony’s shoulder. Lie tried to be brave about it but soon great tears 
were welling in his eyes and he couldn’t help wiggling his lower lip. 

Mopsey and Popsey came to 
the rescue and decided that 
perhaps it would be best if 
they all got in a carriage and 
took a ride around the town. 
Tony got the seat up by the 










Bermuda 


17 


driver because of his accident while Toinette and Arabella sat with 
their backs to him. 

They found Bermuda to be a fairly flat island but very charm¬ 
ing, with its brilliantly colored flowers and tiny white roofed 
houses; it seemed that every house had to have a white roof and 
most of them had ridges in the roof to catch the rain water. 

Clip-clop, clip-clop went the horse’s 
hoofs as he trotted along the hard coral 
roads. Yes, all the roads are made of coral. 

The largest town next to Hamilton is St. 

Georges, but that was about ten miles away 
so they went to the famous aquarium instead, 
which was heaps of fun. 

There was an octopus with horrid suckers 
on all its tentacles and dainty little sea horses 
who climbed up on branches of coral. There 
was a big yellow fish that looked as if his skin 
was made of velvet, and tiny black and white 
fish that darted around so quickly that the 
eye could hardly keep up with them. 

Outside the aquarium was almost 
the best of all. There was a large cement 
pond in which swam several large turtles 
and many black and white penguins. A 
special platform had been madefor them 
in the center of the pond so that they 






18 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

could watch the wonders of the world from there also. As soon as 
the Brown family arrived the penguins started to perform. One 
after the other would climb very solemnly on the platform and 
then dive off. Some would go head first and others would land 
flat on their stomachs, but this didn’t seem to bother them at all. 
Then, beyond the penguins, were some enclosures for birds. There 
were macaws, finches, and parrots. 

After this they went to visit the perfume factory where the fa¬ 
mous Fiddlewood variety was made. They saw steaming cauldrons 
where the leaves of various plants were being burned for their odor. 
Toinette was so busy sniffing all the perfume bottles that she spilled 
a whole bottle on herself and for days after her blue linen dress with 
the little white donkey carts on it could be detected at a great 
distance. 

Unfortunately the ship did not stop very long in Bermuda and 
the Browns didn’t have a chance to see all that they would have 
liked, but when they said good-bye to the carriage driver they 
promised surely to come back some time. 


hi. St. Kitts 



9 HERE WASgreat excitement on deck and inthecabins thefirst 
day in really tropical waters. Officers appeared on duty in smart 
white uniforms, voyagers plunged into their baggage for thin cloth¬ 
ing and light weight hats. Arabella was having a very busy time 
with Tony and Toinette getting them to be orderly and put away 
their warm clothes and socks, hang up their heavy suits and put 
on linen and cool sandals. Tony was very cross with Toinette be¬ 
cause she always seemed to know more than he and this time it was 
a discussion about the island near which they were to land and be 
taken over in small boats. 

“It is too named for cats,” said Tony. 

“Oh, Tony,” replied Toinette, “how can you not know that? 
It’s positively named for Christophe 
Columbus and —” 

“No, no, children,” said Arabella, 
who was proud of her knowledge < 
the Indies. “It was named St. 

Christopher by Columbus in 



20 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
honor of his patron saint on his second voyage of exploration in 
1493, an d some people who talk fast began to call it St. Kitts.” 

Tony was much annoyed, for his love of animals included the 
simple domestic cat, and he had believed the island would abound 
in them. Popsey’s firm knock on the cabin door and his call “Come 
and see Mt. Misery” brought an end to further argument and they 
were at once astonished by the sight of the high, extinct volcano, 
but more by the many colored boys diving from small boats for 
pennies thrown from the decks by the passengers. Often too, the 
brighter silver coins would be thrown down and a pandemonium 
would arise as the divers performed wonderful stunts under water 
in their eagerness to get the money. Tony and Toinette were good 
swimmers but never had they seen anything like this and it was 
hard to get them down the gangway and into a tender. In a few 
minutes they were whisked across the bay to the little town of Basse- 
Terre where Popsey made arrangements for a nice car to drive 
them to an old fort called Brimstone Hill. 

Mopsey and Popsey asked many questions of their soft-spoken 
driver, whose name was John Wesley Jones, while the children ex¬ 
claimed over their first sight of sugar cane fields and the little 
thatched houses on stilts. Also they were worried by the many black 
children along the road who were sucking sugar cane and holding 
out their palms calling “Pennies, massa—pennies, missie.” 

“Oh why do they do that, Arabella, and why do the little boys 
wear such funny shirts just to their waists, and how do people carry 
so much on their heads?” 


21 


St. Kitts 

Arabella had told the children many stories 
of her own beautiful Jamaica and of her own 
dear black people but if she had ever known she 
had forgotten that many thoughtless visitors to 
the West Indies had brought changes about 
and that the cute children, almost 
for miles as one drove along, had 
been taught to beg. Tony and Toin- 
ette soon became more interested in 
the great number of burros, goats, 
sheep and chickens ambling along 
the road; and their shouts of excite¬ 
ment reached a high point when the 
car slowed down to where there were 
some darling, new-born baby lambs. 

Tony wanted one so badly that Pop- 
sey promised him something alive to 
take home at the end of their several 
weeks’journey. 

As they drove up the old fort at 
Brimstone Hill John Wesley Jones 
was explaining how it had been 
fought over by the English and the 
French long ago, and added, “I do 
not wish to unease your stomach with 
overtalk.” Tony and Toinette were 



MV 










22 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

having a new experience with a lovely branch of white and waxy 
pink flowers. Arabella said its name was Fangy-pangy. She 
borrowed from a boy one of those queer knives called a cutlass 
which all the men carry to cut coconuts, yams, cane, and wood. 
She cut deep into the branch and a milky white stream oozed 
out. It stung their bare knees but frangipani is supposed to bring 
luck and it kept them busy seeing which could get the most ooze 
until they reached the tender. All were hungry and wanted 
luncheon and then a nap before going ashore on the island of Nevis. 


iv. Nevis 


cp 

_ 90 PSEY liked to read up about places and so he knew of 

the white cloud which is always around the peak of the next island. 
As they came into the harbor, he told Tony and Toinette that Co¬ 
lumbus had seen one too and thought it was snow and called it 
the French word “neve” which was later changed to Nevis. Tony 
was more absorbed in seeing a horse taken from its stall on the 
Norwegian freight boat and put into a large scow from whence it 
suddenly was seen swimming ashore. After covering the two hun¬ 
dred yards or more and reaching dry land, it shook itself, neighed, 
and was cheerfully led down the street by a happy colored boy. 

For the travelers this time the crossing to shore was made in a 
large, flat rowboat which Mopsey did not think much of but the 
children loved. The sun was beginning to go down brilliantly. The 
little dock was filled with smiling, welcoming faces and Popsey at 
once talked to a neat and important-looking black policeman 
dressed in white. He wanted to know the way to the Bath House 
which two hundred years before had helped make the island famous. 
The waters were good for rheumatism and lumbago and people from 


23 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
all parts of the world took a cure there as 
Mopsey and Popsey often did at Hot 
Springs, Virginia or French Lick Springs, 
Indiana. Visitors are not supposed 
> ever to walk in the tropics but after 
Popsey had learned it was only ten 
^ minutes up the hill to the hotel, he 
was determined to make it on foot. 
Arabella had been left on the ship as she 
said she wanted “to meditate.” 

The four started off gaily right up the 
middle of the road, there being no side¬ 
walks, when all at once they heard a patter 
of bare feet close to them and soft voices 
mumbling something. Two very black, 
small boys with enormous eyes and the 
whitest teeth looked longingly at them and 
said, “Lady and Master, the policeman 
has instructed us to accompany you on 
your peregrination.” 

Tony and Toinette were delighted and 
immediately made friends with Solomon 
and Moses which the boys claimed were 
their names. Such questions they asked as 
they all went skipping and hopping up the 
hill together with Popsey and Mopsey 
















puffing along behind! 
Arriving at the Bath 
House, dinner was 
ordered. While waiting 
an old retired New 
England whaling cap¬ 



tain spun yarns of the 


i 


born there in 1757, and 

of the visit of the great ^ pjg 

English Admiral, Horatio Nelson. By candle-light in a low 
ceilinged room, dinner was served, while the two grinning 
little guards stood wide-eyed each at a window, counting every _ 
mouthful. Everyone was hungry and pounced upon the native 
fish chowder, fried chicken and yams. Just as Tony had his mouth 
at the fullest he went “Hist” with almost disastrous results. On the 
very dark balcony, outside the open doors, four shadowy figures 
appeared, two of them carrying guitars, and began a series of native 
songs in their low, soft, drawling monotone. The one about the 
mongoose the children liked the best. 



“Oh mongoose went in de 5 missus kitchen, 
Took out one of the big fat chicken, 
Stuck it into his waistcoat pocket, 

Oh sly mongoose.” 


It was all over too soon and Solomon and Moses were waiting 
















26 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

to lead them down the hill again in the inky blackness. In spite of 
stumbling feet, Tony and Toinette still were alert enough to ask 
their guides about their schools and would they promise to look on 
a map of the United States and find Boston and New York and 
Chicago. The boys eagerly said “Yes” to everything and conducted 
them safely and proudly past the policeman to the waiting row¬ 
boat. Fifteen minutes’ pull across the calm sea and the tired trav¬ 
elers were helped up the gangway to their sturdy ship. Tony an¬ 
nounced, “I liked Solomon best,” and Toinette was about to tell 
her preferences when a beaming Arabella came towards them and 
said, “My precious lambs, I surely have missed you, and now tell 
me all about your excursion while you get ready for bed.” 


v. Antigua 


^ ^ SATURDAY morning the ship arrived bright and early in 
Antigua. There were two different parties leaving from the ship— 
one going to English Harbor, which is famous for its dock yard, and 
the other to go bathing. Tony and Toinette decided that they could 
see dock yards almost any day at home but that swimming in warm, 
clear water in the midst of winter would be a treat. 

Arabella led the procession as they scrambled down the gang 
plank into a launch. The boat started to go into the bay at the end 
of which is the capital city of the island, St. Johns. They all got off 
at the large dock and went up to the Bath House which used to be 
old Fort James. There was a big cannon on the lawn but aside from 
that Tony wouldn’t believe it was an honest to goodness fort. It was 
exciting to think, however, that Captain Blood had once bathed on 
this very same beach. 

As the children were playing in the sand, Arabella suddenly 
gave forth a cry which sounded like a cow in great distress. Tony 
and Toinette rushed over to find her hopping around on one foot 
with a small crab dangling from the big toe of her other foot. No 

27 


28 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

one seemed to know exactly how to remove the crab, which in the 
meantime was pinching harder and harder, and Arabella looked 
as if she were doing a Highland Fling. After a three-minute con¬ 
sultation it was suggested she should go in swimming. She promptly 
did so and the crab decided that the sandy bottom of the ocean 
was far more pleasant than a large black toe. 




vi. Montserrat 


0 

\^_^NN THE AFTERNOON of that same day, the ship went to 
Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat. Mopsey and Popsey were 
rather bothered as they got into the row boat—the one launch had 
burned six months ago and there seemed to be some doubt whether 
there would ever be a new one—for they had little time and wanted 
to see some friends. At the dock there were swarms and swarms of 
colored people, many with large raffia boxes in their hands or on 
their heads. The Browns pushed their way through to the Post 
Office to inquire where the Jacksons lived. To the Browns’ amaze¬ 
ment the clerk at the office had a very black face and very red hair. 

The Jacksons’ house was up a hill about half a mile from the 
docks. It was a very pretty little house overlooking the sea. The 
Jacksons did not know about the Browns’ arrival but were over¬ 
joyed and said it certainly was a treat to see friends there, as few 
visitors ever came to Montserrat. 

A horse and buggy drove to the door to take the visitors to see a 
little of the scenery. They saw Soufriere, a sinister-looking volcano 
that erupts often, and they looked at it across acres and acres of 


29 


3o Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

bright green lime trees—limes being the chief export of the island. 
Years and years ago the English ships all stopped at Montserrat 
for cargoes of limes, as the fruit stops scurvy. So many limes were 
shipped off that the English are still called “Limeys” on the island. 

After a two-hour drive the Jacksons took their friends to the 
Montserrat Club where Tony and Toinette had some real ginger 
beer that is made on the island. While they sat in the club sipping 
it, four little colored children stood outside, strumming their ban¬ 
joes and singing lustily. 


vii. Dominica 


0 

V ^yNDECK early the next morning, there was a peppery old 
gentleman who was very much annoyed as he had been consider¬ 
ably disturbed in trying to walk his daily mile. An object flew and 
hit him upon his very fat stomach. Toinette said, “Oh sir, I’m 
so sorry,” as she tried to recover the book which had fallen from the 
top of her head. He grumbled something about “Children should 
be seen and not heard” and perhaps later added “felt” for as he 
turned, he collided with a barefooted Tony carrying on his head a 
large orange with a table knife stuck in it. He was followed by Billi- 
kins Beebe who had some cushions on his head and Arabella, to 
beat them all, was balancing aloft a suitcase in the most dignified 
manner. The old gentleman finally laughed and exploded with, 
“Can you beat that!” 

Ever since they had reached St. Kitts, Toinette had been watch¬ 
ing the way girls and women all carried loads on their heads, enor¬ 
mous bundles of laundry, large earthen pots, live chickens and 
heavy bunches of twigs, and had decided that at the first oppor¬ 
tunity, she and Tony and their little friends would have a contest 

3 1 


32 



Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

and Arabella must join also. Tony had been 
especially thrilled by one girl who had an 
enormous melon with one of those savage look¬ 
ing long cutlasses stuck in it. She was walking 
as calmly as she pleased. He felt the next 
best thing with which he could play was an 
orange and knife, slyly removed from the 
breakfast table. Toinette’s lesson books kept 
toppling from her head but Arabella 
never once let the suitcase slip. 
Mopsey and Popsey had laughingly 
looked on but said, “No more play¬ 
ing now. See, the Island of Rain¬ 
bows is in sight and all the little 
boats are again coming out to take 
us to shore, and the boys are on 
rafts to dive for coins.” One little 
fellow in a blue loin cloth had a 
three-cornered raft made of plain 
boards. There was a little fence 
around it on which was painted in 
bright blue letters “Coronation.” He was a 
favorite with all the passengers and especially 
so when they saw he was quite a business man. 
He had a little metal box with a cover attached 
to the front of his raft in which he put his coins 








Dominica 33 

after taking them from his mouth, where he placed them while 
under water. Mopsey felt that they’d better move on as she had 
caught Tony in what she feared was the act of swallowing a 
large copper coin and she didn’t want him to experiment further. 

“All aboard, massa—lady, on this fine boat,” and off they went 
bobbing across the lovely bay to Roseau. As it was Sunday morning 
there were not so many people in the streets and as they drove along 


















34 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

they passed several churches. Arabella decided to go into one while 
the rest drove and as they stopped they heard the natives singing 
hymns and saw their shining, eager faces turned towards the min¬ 
ister. Many children were in church too and Tony and Toinette 
wondered if they had also gone to Sunday School as the two 
would have had to do at home. 

On they went to the Botanical Garden which, though small, is 
world-famous. Tony and Toinette had exclaimed over the enor¬ 
mous cocoanut palms along their drive. But their excitement was 
at keener pitch here over the first cannonball tree they had seen. 
The strange-looking round balls hang in rows down the trunk to 
the bottom of the tree and are not good for anything, being quite 
poisonous. 

A shower sent the visitors scampering back into the car and 
they were driven to a high point where they could see the daily 
promised rainbow. It was a perfect arc of color over the lovely, lush 
green island—so green because it rains a little every day. A flock of 
little boys circled the car and held out the quaintest things to sell. 
Mopsey asked their names—Richard, George and Felix; it was the 
latter whom she liked best and consequently bought from him a lot 
of funny little heads made of cashew nuts, with red beads for eyes, 
and put on long sticks. Richard kept saying, “Mistress Lady, please 
give me glove for carnival. 55 Mopsey was wearing a clean white pair 
of cotton gloves and it seems all the natives love to have some to 
wear at Carnival time. She wanted to ask many questions but 
Popsey said, “We must hurry along and find Arabella and go back 


Dominica ^ 

to the ship.” She had “immensely replenished her soul” at church, 
she said, and put her arms about her two precious charges as they 
bobbed about in the boat. Half of the beautiful rainbow was wan¬ 
ing and suddenly two large tears ran down Toinette’s face. 

“What is wrong, darling?” asked Popsey. 

“Oh it is so beautiful. I wish Mummie and Daddy were here,” 
she answered. 

Tony’s saucy little nose looked more so than usual and to assert 
his manliness in place of his sister’s sentiment said loudly, “I want 
my lunch, and lots of it.” 


viii. St. Lucia 


Q° 

OR Tony and Toinette a great part of the fun of going to 
shore had been the choice of the little boats they went in. But this 
afternoon was the first time Mopsey was truly comfortable as the 
ship was to land right beside a dock. Castries, the port of call, is 
supposed to have the most beautiful harbor in the Caribbean, and 
all the populace are very proud when large ships come right in 
almost at their front doors and unload cargoes and visitors. As it 
was Sunday afternoon, everyone was at the dock, and many booths 
had been set up for the sale of everything from guava jelly to strings 
of bean beads. The children and Arabella could hardly leave Big 
Eva who seems to be known to all the West Indies tourists for her 
size as well as for the splendid guava jelly she makes. She weighs 
225 pounds and was dressed in a flowing garment of vivid scarlet 
satin and a wide brimmed hat trimmed with nodding pink roses. 
Her face was as friendly and jolly as the brightness of her outfit. 

While Popsey made arrangements for the usual drive, Mopsey 
was ordering some jelly to be put on the ship, knowing how every¬ 
one would like it for souvenirs when they reached home. 


St. Lucia 


37 


Toinette had a special errand to do and asked to stop at a shop 
she had heard about where she could buy a shark’s tooth for her 
charm bracelet. There were many tempting things displayed—bas¬ 
kets and tortoise shells, but the one purchase was quickly made so 
the Browns could get off for the drive to Morne Fortune (Lucky 
Hill). There they had a view which brought forth many Oh’s and 
Ah’s over the harbor which, Popsey explained as he read his guide 
books constantly, was called the “Cradle of England’s Navy.” Then 
he made them all stand still while he told them a little of Admiral 
Rodney and his great naval battle with the French in which 
sixty ships fought, and about the terrible slaughter that took 
place but saved the island for the English. In a distance they 
could see the Vigie, a three-mile-long bathing beach which 
was once a battlefield, and a volcano, Soufriere, which has 
not erupted for a long time. Friends had told the Browns 
that they would see many 
views but never eat lobster 
such as they would have if 
they had dinner at Antoine’s, 
up high on a side of a hill 
where they could also enjoy 
the most beautiful twilight 
and the view of lights coming 
on around the harbor while 
waiting for their feast. 

Tony announced, “I 





g8 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

think I’ve had enough scenery,” which really didn’t surprise his 
grandparents and he and Toinette went to explore the sloping 
terraces from which soon cries of joy were heard. They had found 
a humming bird’s nest with some eggs in it and a strange-colored 
lizard. The excitement over this kept them busy until they were 
called for dinner which was so good that they forgot how they 
were going to hate taking the milk of magnesia Arabella said they 
would have to have at bedtime. They were served broiled lobster, 
alligator pears, which are so common at St. Lucia that they are fed 
to the cats, and stewed guavas with cocoanut cream. All of the 
Browns said “Um-mmm” and were almost ashamed of the way 
they had eaten. They all thought it would be fun to 
wander among the booths on the dock until sailing, 
which was to be ten promptly, as their good ship never 
once missed arriving or sailing on time. So down they 
drove the steepest of hills, much steeper than any near 
Boston, where the children would have 
been coasting; and back to the dock where 
there were even more of the population 
than when they arrived. They were all 
dressed in their Sunday best and one could 
see gay colors, pinks and blues and two little 
girls who perhaps were twins in bright 
yellow ruffled dresses and enormous yellow 
bows on their heads, just as if they 
were going to dancing school or a 







St. Lucid 

party at home. It seemed odd to Tony and Toinette to see these 
on little black children because they had expected them to be 
dressed differently in the tropics. 

Women were holding the darlingest babies to be admired, Big 
Eva was smiling all over, happy about a good day’s sales, with her 
red satin billowing around her. Funniest of all was a little old black 
man with a grey beard and bare feet dressed in a much worn cut¬ 
away suit and a silk hat green from age. He was going about from 
group to group saying a few words—“Blessings upon you, kind 
lady.” “Happiness to you, good sir.” “Lord be with you, little 
children.” They were told later that he was an inmate of the asy¬ 
lum up on the hill. 

The whistle blew and though it seemed as if all the passengers 
hated to leave this lovely place, they scrambled to be first in going 
up the gangway; except Mopsey, who said she always wore the 
wrong shoes for shore trips and rowboats and gang planks. Slowly 
the ship backed out of the harbor. All the people on the dock waved 
to the passengers, everyone happy over their visit. Toinette sighed, 
“They look like chocolate.” 

“Who?” asked Mopsey. 

“Those darling babies, but I don’t believe I want anything 
more to eat tonight.” 


ix. Barbados 



'ONT AND TOINETTE got up very early the day they ar¬ 
rived at Barbados for they knew they had a busy time ahead of 
them. Toinette insisted on wearing the hat she had bought at 
Dominica—the funny flowered one that didn’t fit very well. Bar¬ 
bados looked somewhat like Bermuda from the ship—flat, with 
shiny white houses tucked in here and 
there. The children were very excited as 
they were allowed to go on shore all by 
themselves in a boat which was rowed by 
four sturdy black boys. On arrival they 
had to go through the Customs Office and 
much to Tony’s chagrin, his rubber bathing 
mattress was taken away from him because 
the Customs Official with the big 
black beard said it might be used for 
smuggling. 

The Brown family took a long 
drive before luncheon. For the most 
40 




Barbados ^ 

part they passed fields and fields of sugar cane, dotted by wind¬ 
mills used for grinding sugar in the old days. Here and there were 
neat little houses surrounded by gardens and there were many 
baby lambs and goats along the wayside which gave Tony special 
delight. 

At the other side of the island they stopped at Hackelston’s Cliff, 
very high, with a big drop to the rocky coral reefs and the town 
of Bathsheba. Although they didn’t go to the town they were told 
by their driver that some very ugly people lived there who were 
called Red Legs—“the ugliest people that ever lived,” he said. 

On the way back to Bridgetown, which is the capital city, they 
stopped for a few minutes at the Crane Hotel, which has a very 
large beach where the waves roll in three or four feet high. Tony 
was nearly lost there as he found a baby lizard and he just had to 
chase it away down on the rocks and scramble after it. Popsey 
screamed and shouted but Tony couldn’t hear him or maybe he 
pretended he couldn’t; at all events after some delay Arabella went 
and got him and the party was off again. After the long hot drive 
they went to the famous Aquatic Club for a swim. The sand was 
almost as white as snow there and the water very warm. There 
were several other children playing on the beach and soon Tony 
and Toinette were shouting with laughter with them and making 
a big sand castle. They felt one o’clock arrived all too soon when 
they had to get dressed for luncheon. They had flying fish that 
were the colors of mother-of-pearl, and really too pretty to eat. 
The natives make necklaces and bracelets from the fish scales. 


42 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

In the afternoon Tony and Toinette took their grandparents by 
the hand and walked them through the streets of Bridgetown. They 
saw many wonderful things made of tortoise shell in the many little 
shops and the busy wharves where boats were continually edging 
their way in and out. Barbados is called a heaven for children and 
old people and they all liked it very much though they rather 
missed the wooded mountains and vivid green vegetation of some 
of the other islands. 






x. St. Vincents 



1/ VHILE Tony was tucking away his breakfast in very large 
spoon- and fork-fuls, Popsey was telling them all again the story of 
Captain Bligh, famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty, which they 
had seen in the film. The story really began here, for St. Vincents 
was to have the first botanical garden in the West Indies and Cap¬ 
tain Bligh was sent to Tahiti for breadfruit trees and brought back 
many kinds and from then on he was called “Breadfruit Bligh.” 

Tony and Toinette were not so interested in botanical gardens 
as somehow they felt animals should be there too, but after hearing 
the Bligh story again they could hardly wait to get ashore. In going 
down the gangway, Tony almost got into the boat with eight small 
English school boys and their teacher, who were being taken from 
Barbados to St. Vincents for a short visit. They all wore little blue 
flannel jackets with an emblem on the sleeve and had a package of 
books under their arms and behaved like well trained little soldiers. 

Kingstown was the name of the landing place and Arabella 
wondered if it would be like her Kingston in Jamaica. As it was 
very different, much smaller and quieter, she enjoyed herself. 


43 


44 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

The Botanical Garden was filled with beautiful palms which the 
children now knew well. There were breadfruit trees, very fra¬ 
grant lime trees, and the arrowroot plant which is sent to the States 
and used for baby food. Popsey also wanted to be driven to a spot 
where they could see where sea-island cotton is grown, which many 
people think is the best in the world; and he explained the difference 
between it and our own southern cotton, as they drove along. 

The most important building was Saint Mary’s Catholic 
Church, as it was built in rather a strange way with many small 
passages around the main building. Tony and Toinette kept shout¬ 
ing, “Oh, look,” and “See this,” when suddenly Mopsey stopped 
quickly and, putting fingers to her lips, she beckoned with the other 
hand for them to follow. They all tiptoed through a hall and 
stopped in front of what seemed to be three large arched, glassless 
windows. Facing them were about thirty of the 
dearest looking little black boys and girls who 
were having a lesson. They all were so neat and 
clean and their eyes grew rounder and larger 
with fun as they saw what Mopsey, the leader 
of the eavesdroppers, was trying to do. Their 
teacher had her back turned to the Browns and 
was saying, “Now, children, recite your tables. 
Two times three makes—” The camera click- 
clicked and Mopsey felt sure she had a fine pic¬ 
ture of these happy-looking little St. Vincent 
children in their open air school room. Teacher 




St. Vincents 

didn’t seem to mind not knowing what had gone 
on behind her back, and turned to wave with the 
children. 

Popsey felt they should walk down to the boat 
in order to see some amusing sights. On the way, 

Tony and Toinette were skipping ahead and sud¬ 
denly stopped and jumped up and down before a 
nice old colored woman who was carrying a basket 
on her head filled with six live chickens. They 
couldn’t understand how the chicks could be so 
quiet but Hepsediah, who loved children as all 
colored people do, told them they were tied with a 
loose cord and some massa-lady would soon eat 
them and “everybody be happy.” Popsey gave her ^ 
two large copper coins to thank her for stopping 
and letting them photograph her and hardly had 
he done this when a boy came along wearing a 
lamb around his neck, just the way Mopsey wore her silver fox 
fur at home; only this was a live lamb and its little feet were tied 
together and its little face was quite sad. Popsey knew this might 
make Tony cry and suggested hurrying down to the rowboat and 
so Arabella trotted him off ahead. The little craft was waiting and 
once in it they had a great surprise, for they were being rowed 
across amid many flying fish. At moments it seemed as if they 
would fly right into the boat and eager hands reached out for 
them but no one had any luck. In the excitement Tony forgot all 





4 6 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

about the lamb and thought of his luncheon and the afternoon 

trip ahead of them. 

“Oh what a beautiful, beautiful harbor,” said Mopsey, as she 
put her camera in position to snap the little town of St. George. 
Low hills and then higher ones and over all of them were growing 
delicious spice and many cocoa trees. There are so many hills that 
it seemed as if the natives had a funny walk—going up all the time. 
“I want Angel Baby” called Toinette as she pointed to one of fif¬ 
teen small boats gathered to take them across. It was painted 
bright blue inside and had a large spray of gay purple flowers tied 
to the stern. Popsey waved to the owner and soon they were ashore 
and again had to take a car to see as much as possible of what is 
called the Spice Island of the West, in the short time they were to 
be there. 

Such an amusing driver—Pierre Etienne Jacque Alfons Dodet, 
he said his name was—which may seem strange on an English 
island, but many French names and customs survive the old days. 
Tony and Toinette giggled and giggled, trying to see which could 
say it the fastest. Amid this game they arrived at a point where 
there was one of the most beautiful views they had seen and a per¬ 
fect flaming sunset. Mopsey and Popsey were snapping many pic¬ 
tures and that started the driver chatting and he said that he had a 
photograph of himself he was sure they would like to see. Of course 
they all agreed they would. Pierre said it was too bad the wind had 
blown and spoiled the crease in his trousers when the picture was 
taken. 


47 


St. Vincents 

The Browns had a short stop 
for tea at the tiny hotel, a sort of 
three-cornered affair which 
might have been tucked away in 
one of the hill towns of Italy. 

While Mopsey and Popsey had 
their tea, Arabella took the chil¬ 
dren to a stream nearby to see 
the women washing their bundles 
of clothes and using the rocks for 
a sortofwashboard. Tony wanted 
to try it but Arabella knew the 
experiment would probably end 
by his slipping in the water and 
she wanted him to stay dry; also 
she didn’t think much of this way 
of doing washing. 

“There they come,” called 
Toinette, as Pierre drove up in 
his Chevrolet, and with a really 

sad feeling they left the island, for in many ways they thought it 
the most beautiful of any. They were astonished discovering that 
the water between them and the ship was a deep jade green while 
in all the other ports it had shaded from one blue to another. 













xi. Trinidad 


* / PART I 

HE HUBBUB was at its height on the good ship Lady Hawkins 
among those travelers who were leaving her for good to go ashore 
at Trinidad. Tony and Toinette were saying good-bye to their fa¬ 
vorite officers, stewards and the two page boys who had run many 
errands for Mopsey and Arabella when the children sometimes hid 
at bedtime. Toinette had her school books in a sack held fast under 
her arm giving her a feeling of having worked more on her lessons 
than she really had. Tony felt most important for he was carrying 
his amusing toy, a giant baby panda, which he had not taken ashore 
before. People kept asking, “Tony, what is that?” and he told them. 
“My Aunt Ruth sent it to me from Chicago for Christmas and its 
name is Mei-Mei, like the one in the zoo there.” 

“Come, come,” said Popsey, “we have a three-mile ride in a 
tender to Port-of-Spain.” If the excitement on the ship had been 
bad it was worse at the dock for the first thing Tony saw was a boy 
leading a chicken or rather pulling it by a long cord around one leg. 
He stopped and let the boy look at Mei-Mei while he examined the 
strange motion of the poor chick. The Customs people did not take 

48 


Trinidad 

long to go through the baggage and the 
Browns were soon installed in their hotel, 
which Mopsey decided was quite the noisiest 
she had ever stopped in. Tony and Toinette 
were thrilled with all the confusion and until 
arrangements were made for their first drive, 
had much fun opening and closing the Vene¬ 
tian blinds in their room. There 
were seven on one side and ten on 
the other, controlled by little plugs 
which were great sport to pull in 
and out. “Lookit,” said Tony, as he had heard the natives say, 
“no window—-just these things.” Toinette was examining the 
large mosquito nets hung over the bed which stood in a partly 
walled off space, making a sort of separate room inside the shuttered 
place. She had a feeling that sleeping inside this tent affair might 
be great fun. 

Mopsey called and they all hopped into a large car with a 
chauffeur whose name was Shippy. He told them he had been a 
ship’s carpenter a long while and that’s why he had that name. He 
proved to be a splendid guide. First they made a complete tour of 
the town which was humming with business, as it has seventy thou¬ 
sand population and people of all races were mingling and walking 
about. They saw bank buildings and shops but none over two sto¬ 
ries high, and they drove through the section where the Hindus live. 
The men were wearing turbans made mostly of rags but walking 




50 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

proudly, and the women had scarfs of bright pink, blue, or yellow. 
Popsey wanted them all to stop to see the well-known Hindu snake 
charmer and so they all piled out on one of the main thoroughfares 
into a small shop which was full of silver bracelets and stuffed alli¬ 
gators. A Hindu wearing a red fez showed them through the tiny 
store and then outside to a fairly large yard which was littered with 
boxes and cages. There were four monkeys which chattered at 
them nervously, many vari-colored birds and last of all, many dif¬ 
ferent kinds of snakes. The fer-de-lance and the bushmaster are 
both very deadly. Tony had his picture taken with a seven-foot boa 
constrictor. “Oh, boy,” said Tony, “that was swell. Lots nicer than 
those gardens without animals.” 

After luncheon at the rest house 
of the Benedictine Monastery, away 
up on the hillside, and a nap, it was 
decided that Shippy would take them 
to what is really the best botanical 
garden in the West Indies and he 
would show them “Razy wazy” which 
he said was magic. The Browns all 
had “calla loo” for luncheon, made 
of green vegetables, mostly spinach 
and crabmeat, but they became so 
sleepy they didn’t think they’d be able 
to start out later. At about four o’clock 
however, they all met on the wide 




























Trinidad 5I 

veranda, which was crowded with tourists, and saw Shippy wait¬ 
ing. During the short drive Tony and Toinette made up a game 
of naming the fruits and trees they had seen. Sometimes when 
one got stuck, Mopsey and Popsey would give them the first letter 
of a word so they could go on. It was a race and often the words 
would pop out at the same time. Coconut palms, elephant ear 
palms, sugar cane, cashew tree, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, 
mango, plantin, bananas, coffee beans, cocoa beans, bamboo, paw¬ 
paw, breadfruit, sour-sop which they had had in ice cream, sapi- 
dillo which looks like a little brown Bermuda potato, cannon ball 
tree, and “Here we are,” said Shippy, as they drove up to a beau¬ 
tiful park in which the governor’s house is also located. At once, 
about six boys flocked around them. “I show you, Master, Lady.” 
“I’m best guide.” “Please little Master and little Mistress, I show 
you many wonderful things.” 

“Oh, let’s take him,” said Toinette, for she liked the darkest 
one’s earnest, pleading face. 

“All right,” said Popsey. “What is your name?” 

“Jonah, sir.” 

That seemed to settle it, but first Shippy had to show them his 
magic before they would go farther. He disappeared for a moment 
behind some shrubbery and re-appeared with two ferns. He placed 
them on the back of his very black hands and said “Razy wazy” 
and on one hand was a perfect powdery silver fern and on the other 
a gold one. Tony and Toinette were most excited over that and 
were quite willing to go farther looking for wonders. Jonah took 


50 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

them all in charge and they started across the beautiful lush lawns, 
Tony in the lead shouting, “I know, that’s a cocoa tree and that’s a 
nutmeg.” Jonah was quite astonished at this. When he talked he 
pressed the knuckles of his two hands together until they looked 
quite white in his earnestness to tell them everything. He also 
shouted a little, which annoyed Mopsey, as she couldn’t see how he 
knew she was slightly deaf. 

“This is the date palm, with the long tassels. Dates very good to 
eat.” 

“This is the bay tree, from which bay rum is distilled and gen¬ 
tleman like for shaving.” 

“Here are rubber trees, from which your motor car tires are 
made.” 

“This is the fristick tree, used for dyeing khaki uniforms.” 

“Master, lady—here is the low traveler’s palm, which has water 
inside, and the tall echo palm, which when struck resounds all 
through the desert. Both palms a great comfort to wanderers.” 

“This fern all shrivel and die when a hand touches.” And at 
once that was what Tony and Toinette wanted to do most. 

“Gome this way across park and see this wonderful sight. Drag¬ 
on’s blood tree.” Jonah cut the bark with his knife and the most 
dreadful deep red gore oozed forth. It made them all a little sick 
and so he next led them to a beautiful shrub upon which were 
growing Napoleon buttons of white and delicate pink. “Looking 
like the ones the brave general gave his soldiers,” he said, as he 
plucked one for each to wear. 


Trinidad 5 g 

With shouts of joy the next exhibit was greeted—Moses in his 
cradle—a little green boat-shaped cocoon, with a white substance 
inside, growing in clusters at the base of an oyster palm. “Here is 
the logwood tree from which black dye is made.” 

“This way please, to the candle tree—often called Christmas 
candle tree.” This was a most unusual tree with many green waxy 
candle-shaped growths about twelve inches long. Jonah assured 
them that they couldn’t be picked but saw Popsey’s hand in his 
pocket for what he hoped would be a large tip. That made him feel 
safe in giving them each one. They left the park like a procession, 
holding their candles and Arabella exclaiming, “For the Lawd.” 

On the way home Shippy had one more surprise for them—the 
saman tree, which is supposed to be the largest of its kind in the 
world. It is said to be several hundred years old, the trunk five feet 
in diameter and its height about seventy feet. “Oh, isn’t it won¬ 
derful?” said Toinette, nestling against Mopsey. “But I like my 
candle best and I’m going to take it home to Mummie.” 


C7° 

\$Jhe ne. 


PART II 


’HE NEXT DAY the Browns were awakened practically at 
dawn by the loud chirpings of the kisskadees, but they were glad 
as they wanted to see as much as possible of Trinidad. At eight 
o’clock they had finished their breakfasts and were merrily going 


54 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

along the road to Pitch Lake, which was about fifty-seven miles 
distant from Port-of-Spain. On the way over they passed miles and 
miles of sugar cane and also the oil fields. Here they saw tremen¬ 
dous tanks where the oil is kept for refining. The oil industry in 
Trinidad is huge. Over eleven million barrels of crude oil are pro¬ 
duced in a year. 

At last they reached the famous Pitch Lake which they had 
heard so much about. At first the Browns were disappointed, as it 
looked just like a tremendous grayish mud puddle. When they ac¬ 
tually walked on the lake and were told all the details of it by a 
guide, they became far more interested. They learned that the 
pitch was removed from the lake early in the morning, late in the 
afternoon and all through the night, as it is far too hot for the 




Trinidad 

workmen during the day. The pitch was loaded into carts and 
hauled up into main buildings a few hundred feet away. There it 
was partly refined and packed in boxes and sent away on ships to 
places all over the world. The lake occupies a hundred acres and 
is of a different consistency, in some parts being almost as hard as 
stone. Tony proceeded to stick his hand into one of the soft parts 
and got pitch all over his hand and face and couldn’t get it all off. 
The amazing part of the lake is that it has a practically never end¬ 
ing source and although tons of pitch are removed a day, the holes 
are always refilled by the next day. 

From Pitch Lake, the Browns motored across the island to Man- 
zanilla Bay, where they had heard that the bathing was excellent. 
There were no bathhouses so they dressed one by one in the car, 
which proved a little difficult. Shippy had brought his bathing suit 
too, so as the waves were quite high, he showed them how to ride 
in on them. 

Manzanilla Bay stretched out about ten miles and all the way 
along was a gleaming white beach banked by coconut trees. After 
a short swim they had a picnic lunch. Tony tried to climb a coco¬ 
nut tree for one of the large nuts but was very unsuccessful, so they 
called to a native boy who happened to be passing by and he gladly 
climbed a palm for them and tossed down several coconuts. 

Later they went swimming again. Shippy told the children to 
stand still in the water, till the wave was just about to break, then 
give a big push towards the shore and lie flat. Tony and Toinette 
tried again and again to ride the waves, but with very little success. 


5 6 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

It was getting late and the children were tired, so the Browns 
got into the car and started back to Port-of-Spain and by the time 
they reached the Queens Park Hotel, Arabella and Shippy were the 
only ones awake. 

The next morning, the Browns all went swimming to Macquerie 
Bay, which is on the north side of the island. They were enchanted 
with the bay which was enclosed by high cliffs on each side and 
had on the beach three diving boards and some rafts. On the lowest 
diving board there was a man standing with a big pole in his hand. 
The children stood watching him politely for a long time for he 
didn’t seem to feel like talking. Finally Tony tapped him on the 
arm and he turned out to be a very nice man. He said he had seen a 
two-hundred-pound grouper there the day before and was hoping 
to spear him. He assured them groupers were harmless, but even 
so the Browns were careful not to swim far out after that. 

Mopsey and Toinette had clicked their cameras all along the 
trip until it didn’t seem possible there could be a click left, but there 
was one more place where they felt they would use many films. It 
was at a private estate said to have grounds with six hundred vari¬ 
eties of orchids and thirty-five thousand other plants. So off they 
trotted. Even Tony was willing to stop playing with the cutest tame 
marmoset which was in a cage out in front of the hotel. 

The head gardener took them through and their progress was 
made amid a series of exclamations, for it seemed unbelievable that 
there could be so many orchids, really acres of them. They were 
hanging from trees, strange shrubs, in moss containers on sticks, in 


Trinidad ^ 

baskets, among rocks and in an open conservatory. Of course they 
were not all in bloom, but enough were to keep the cameras busy 
and make Tony restless until he discovered a cage with some white 
herons and troupials, who whistle all the time. After a two-hour 
visit they decided that it had been a fine afternoon. 

At dinner Popsey had a twinkle in his eye and told them he was 
going to have a surprise party. They walked three blocks to a large 
green and yellow building which turned out to be almost the nicest 
moving picture house they had ever seen. The Walt Disney comic 
couldn’t have been funnier. It was about a big hound who sat on a 
nest of chickens and then brought them up. The Browns roared with 
laughter and even when they went to bed they were still chuckling. 


xii. Tobago 



PART I 

f LL THE BROWNS and Arabella were particu¬ 
larly looking forward to the island of Tobago as Popsey had told 
them so much about Robinson Crusoe, who had been shipwrecked 
on its rocky shore, found a cave and lived there for twenty-seven 
years. The ship which took them over from Port-of-Spain was only 
a little over one hundred feet long and Mopsey felt right from the 
start that something was going to be wrong. They got themselves 
into small neat cabins and into the hardest of bunks and shortly 
after they had been under way the trouble began. Sounds of misery 
came from every cabin except that of Tony and Toinette, as they 
were too sleepy to realize that the cross-current in those waters 
causes the strangest motion and brings general discomfort. 

Popsey, who looked almost green in the morning, said he had 
been seasick for the first time in his life and that the motion of the 
ship had been “like a bucking broncho with the wigglings of an ex¬ 
cited angleworm.” All the discomfort, however, was soon forgotten 
amid the business of getting settled in nice new and airy rooms in 
the small Robinson Crusoe Inn near the village of Scarborough. As 

58 


Tobago 59 

the Browns were going to be there several weeks, trunks and bags 
were unpacked and Arabella with the children helping her, was 
trying to put things into apple-pie order. 

For the first few days they all wanted to sleep a good deal and 
watch the Caribbean as it roared upon a shallow beach in front of 
the Inn; and ask questions about Robinson Crusoe and where to 
drive and what to see. Toinette began her lessons with Mopsey and 
of course she was more interested in geography than anything else 
now and could tell much about the West Indies and if they were 
Windward, Leeward or Virgin Islands—about the different nations 
they had belonged to and the battles that had been fought over 
them. Arithmetic also had a share in the lessons, as she was learning 
to count in English money. 

Popsey had Tony read to him a little every morning and say his 
tables so he would not be behind the other 
boys when he got back to school. An enor¬ 
mous grey and white cat named Friday 
used to come and settle down at their feet 
and that made Tony and Toinette keep 
asking, “When may we go to see the cave 
where Robinson Crusoe and his good 
Man Friday lived?” 

When Popsey said “Tomorrow,” 
they were overjoyed. Cupid was a 
nice young driver who had been 
chosen to take them about the island 




















60 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

and was most pleased to lead them to the famous cave. They drove 
through a jungle road and an abandoned vegetable garden. Then 
they got out of the car and almost crawled through some prickly 
bushes and at last reached a very rocky promontory. It was as 
forlorn as Defoe’s legend described and the children, led by Cupid, 
slipped and stumbled down over the huge stones to a narrow ledge 
and in single file reached the cave. It had a small opening and when 
they got inside they heard strange sounds which were made by 
large bats. The children came rushing out, looking awfully fright¬ 
ened and for some time Tony kept hold of Mopsey’s hand. A few 
days later he said suddenly, “I don’t like that place where Robinson 
Crusoe lived at all—I don’t.” 

From then on, they thought the best part of the day was morn¬ 
ing, when they started in a jitney or village bus with large letters 
LOVER’S LANE painted on the back and drove about seven miles 
along the road where friendly natives smiled and waved to them, 
and by an open school where the children seemed to watch for 
them. The last two miles passed through closely planted coconut 
palm groves where often they caught sight of beautiful corn birds— 
black with bright yellow tail feathers and a vari-shaded blue king 
of the woods. Tony and Toinette could hardly wait to reach Pigeon 
Point and run quickly to find a nice little bathhouse and scramble 
into their bathing things. They spent many hours making sand cas¬ 
tles and tunnels on the beach and were always calling to each other, 
“Look, Tony”—“Toinette, do you see this?”—“Look, Mopseyand 
Popsey”— as they were pleased with their games. They took long 


Tobago 61 

walks along the beach with Stuart, a nice little English boy who 
spoke with such a broad “A” that at first they couldn’t understand 
him at all; Louise, who loved turning handsprings, and Jimmy 
with the large solemn eyes, who at first had kept aloof as he didn’t 
like girls until he saw Toinette standing on her head in and out of 
the water. Then there was Bally, a chubby little boy of two, who gig¬ 
gled whenever he fell down and who was always throwing mud at 
people. They found many pieces of coral and baby conch shells, 
which were the loveliest pink inside and gathered quite a collection 
to take home to their friends. They had great sport too, chasing land 
crabs that crawled “on the bias,” Jimmy said. 

Tony called the water “so hold- 
uppety” and was learning to swim much 
better even than at Cape Cod, and they 
all had races out to the raft, in which 
he joined. 

After luncheon and a long nap, 

Mopsey and Popsey usually played golf 
on the funniest little six-hole 
course and the children were 
allowed to go along if Arabella 
did not take them for a walk 
through the village or the gov¬ 
ernment experimental farm 
where they loved to see the horses, 
donkeys, pigs, and chickens. Each 










62 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

person had two caddies, one who carried the clubs—another called 
a fore caddy who ran ahead to see where the balls landed and so 
when they all got under way itmade quite aprocession. The children 
had the best time scampering along as the course was also a pasture 
and had several flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cows and 
some zebus. None of the animals seemed to mind the balls flying 
around at all and once when Popsey hit a zebu he just gave a look of 
pained astonishment, flicked his tail and moved slowly on. The 
greens were a special nuisance to Mopsey, who hated climbing 
over the wires which protected them from the roaming cattle. 

Often Popsey played tennis with Toinette and other afternoons 
they took drives with Cupid who showed them where there were 
beautiful views of the hillsides covered by trees of flaming immor¬ 
tal blossoms and to little bays and sand bars where there would be 
large flocks of strange, solemn birds and Popsey would sing 

“Heigh-ho, look at the pelican 
Whose beak can hold more than his belli-can.” 

Sometimes Mopsey and Popsey had quite heated arguments, 
never a real quarrel, but Popsey’s latest plan almost brought one 
on, as he and Tony shared their love for animals and reptiles—the 
stranger the better. A trip was to be made to Castara Bay near 
which Popsey had been told he could see boa constrictors in their 
native jungle and he thought Tony would like that and perhaps see 
some rare birds as well. Mopsey almost cried and Arabella said, 
“Master Brown, please do not take my child to that Garden of Eden 
where snakes am abounding.” 


6 3 


Tobago 

Finally Popsey went with a friend who 
also liked snakes and the rest stopped on 
the beach at Castara and had a fine 
swim and a lovely picnic luncheon. Tony 
forgot all about his disappointment over 
not going to the jungle for he found some 
of the cutest turtles, and the time passed 
quickly, watching them and deciding 
what he should name them. Toinette and Arabella had gone into 
the woods looking for butterflies. 

An old, old, colored man came along and politely spoke to them 
and asked if they liked the beach. As they all did very much Mopsey 
thought perhaps he wouldn’t mind telling them his age. He proudly 
said he was the oldest man in the village and he was 87 years of age. 
She then asked how many people lived in the village and he an¬ 
swered, scratching his head in a puzzled manner, c< ‘Mistress, that 
problem would take me considerable time to estimate.” She almost 
giggled in his face for she knew there were only about two hundred 
souls in the tiny place. Soon the party were all laughing, for Popsey 
returned looking too bedraggled and crestfallen and mosquito-bit- 
ten for words. He had spent four hours hacking his way through the 
jungle with one of those native cutlasses and had not even seen one 
snake. Tony was so glad that he had not gone along and promptly 
displayed his treasures named Rosey, Posey, Mosey and Josey. 

One morning early they went to the open market in the main 
square of the village where the natives came for miles around carry- 



64 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

ing their vegetables, fruit and chickens on their heads—to be sold 
to the townsfolk all amid the greatest chatter imaginable. Then on 
they drove up to a cocoa plantation where the natives were “Cocoa 
Dancing.” After the beans are taken from their large pods and have 
fermented they are spread out on the roof of a shed in the sun and 
on them the natives, both men and women, do a sort of shuffle— 
chanting a queer “Loco-poco.” This goes on a long while until the 
many feet have polished the beans and then they are sent to other 
lands where they are ground into delicious cocoa. 


~\-~L V PART II 

J j~, _ JN UNUSUALLY LOVELY DAT was chosen 

to make the trip to Speyside which is at the other end of the island. 
The Browns and Arabella started out with Cupid, who seemed in a 
particularly good humor. The drive took an hour and a half and 
all the while the children were practically hanging out of the car 
in order not to miss anything. They passed beautiful bays with 
sandy beaches and tiny little villages nestled among the palms all 
along a very winding road. Finally they came to Speyside, where 
first they investigated the picturesque, deserted old sugar mill all 
covered with purple Bougainvillaea. 

When the Browns went swimming Toinette suddenly started to 
scream bloody murder and everyone was frightened to death. She 


Tobago 65 

had been stung by a Portuguese man-o-war, which is a sort of jelly 
fish, and although the pains subsided shortly she had a scar on her 
face for several days. At three o’clock the great excitement began as 
they were all going out to Little Tobago, which is a small island 
three miles away from the mainland. Everyone jumped into the 
large, heavy sort of rowboat after some difficulty, as the boat 
couldn’t be hauled all the way on the shore and they had either to 
get their feet wet or leap into the boat. Mopsey and Popsey got 
theirs very wet. 

Four sturdy oarsmen with bulging muscles,rode them past Goat 
Island to Little Tobago. There is but one woman living on Goat 
Island. She has not even a dog for company and when she puts out 
a little flag, the people on the mainland know that she needs help. 

After going through swirling waters and large waves, the small 
craft landed on the shore of Little Tobago. Here in 1909 a certain 
Sir William Ingram brought twenty-six pairs of birds of paradise 
from New Guinea. When he died it was found in his will that he 
gave the island to the government and requested that the birds be 
brought fresh water twice a week and that fruit trees be cultivated in 
sheltered parts of the island so that the birds could live and multiply. 

After landing, a steep climb brought the Browns to the Govern¬ 
ment Rest House. Mopsey’s face was so red and her cheeks so puffed 
that it looked as if she might burst any minute. They rested for a few 
moments and then the owner of the boat, Christopher, led them 
along a tiny path to the place where the birds fed late in the after¬ 
noon. He started giving low, sharp whistles and presently an answer 


66 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

was heard. The birds were very timid so Tony and Toinette took off 

their shoes and crept along the path like Indians. 

They all stood quietly in a sheltered grove where Christopher 
whispered the birds were likely to be. “Awk-awk” they now could 
hear several birds calling. Presently there was a whir of wings and 
a beautiful bird alighted on top of a tree close by to them. He had a 
yellow head and golden brown wings and best of all a long golden 
tail in full plumage which blew from side to side with the wind. The 
Browns lay quietly concealed for about an hour and saw nine birds. 
Tony wanted so badly to catch one to bring home but Christopher 
told him sternly that no one is ever allowed to catch one of the birds 
of paradise. 

The boat ride back to Speyside was even rougher than crossing 
and once Mopsey gave a shriek when a large wave came over the 
side of the boat and completely doused her. 

What a nice man! Christopher sold his cutlass to Tony for thirty- 
six cents and all the way home he sat on the front seat, holding it 
and looking as proud as a turkey-cock. 

One fine Sunday morning the Browns were invited to a picnic. 
Right after breakfast they held a consultation over what they should 
wear. Toinette decided for her bright blue jumper and Tony for a 
white suit, as it was Sunday, and they both wore their sandals that 
the shoe-maker Caesar had made for them in Scarborough, even 
though they much preferred to go bare-footed the way most of the 
native children did. 

At eleven o’clock they all piled into the jitney and started for the 


Tobago 67 

picnic. Oh my, oh my, what a lovely place had been chosen! They 
could see their friends far down on the side of the road in a beautiful 
bamboo grove. The trees grew in clusters which joined in arches 
thirty feet overhead. 

Tony and Toinette immediately rushed into the bathing houses 
of coconut palm leaves which had been made for the occasion and 
put on their suits. Then they scrambled down a little path to a small 
waterfall which ended in the prettiest pool they had ever seen. On 
each side were high rocks overgrown by thick green shrubs. The 
water was, of course, not salty as in 
the sea and the children couldn’t get 
over how different it felt. They had 
heaps of fun standing under the 
waterfall, but could not do that 
for very long because it felt as if 
big rocks were landing on their 
heads, and very soon they were fam¬ 
ished for a big luncheon. They had 
never been to such a picnic before. 

All the dishes were on a table under 
a long canopy of palm leaves and 
there was everything imaginable to 
eat—a roasted pig with apples in 
place of his eyes, chicken and rice, 
wonderful shrimp salad, tremendous 
kegs of cider, and all sorts of cakes 






68 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

and fruits. All the guests sat on piles of bamboo poles and ate 

and ate till they thought they’d burst. 

Then there was Princess. She was an old, old woman—ninety- 
two years old to be exact. She had no teeth, but even so she had the 
kindest smile and her brown face became a mass of little wrinkles 
whenever one spoke to her and she made a little bob curtsy. Tony 
and Toinette thought she was the nicest person they had ever met 
and begged her to stop serving the guests and talk with them. 

Popsey and Mopsey had all this time been sitting with their 
friends, but just before the dessert was served, Popsey sauntered off 
saying he wanted to take a look around. He returned some five 
minutes later, rather sheepishly, for in his hand was a snake. Mop¬ 
sey took one look at it, gave a loud scream, picked up her skirts and 
ran. Popsey called her back to show her what a really nice snake it 
was. Tony thought that it should be called Princess because it was 
so nice and brown like his newly found friend. Finally Mopsey 
came back and took several long looks at it and decided she liked 
it and even held it in her hands for a few short moments. At three 
o’clock the guests began to go and Popsey, looking very crestfallen, 
walked down the path to let his snake Princess free. Everyone 
agreed that they had never been on such a wonderful picnic. 

The day before Ash Wednesday a large English battleship came 
into the harbor and the population all over the island was excited. 
About 27,000 black people and about two hundred white. The sail¬ 
ors marchedthrough Scarborough village and added to the festivity 
of carnival time, which is looked forward to all over the West Indies. 


Tobago 69 

The natives paint their faces and wear funny masks and clownish 
costumes and go about in groups from house to house carrying old 
guitars and banjoes and sometimes tin pans and reeds and sing what 
they call “calypsos.” One group was all dressed in green satin and 
gold and a little boy, as a page, led by a heavy chain a man who was 
dressed in green scales and an enormous head like an alligator’s. He 
kept lifting it up and looking around to see if people liked him, 
which they did very much, and his was voted the best group. 

Mopsey took many photographs with her little Eastman includ¬ 
ing a very amusing one of Popsey and Tony crawling on all fours 
after a pair of large iguanas who appeared on the terrace as if to see 
the festivities too. 

Countless postcards had been sent to Mummie and Daddy and 
the mail three times a week was eagerly awaited but the day for de¬ 
parture seemed to come all too soon. The last drive to the beach, an 
especially long swim, waving farewells to all the natives who had 
begun to know them along the way and after an especially long nap, 
saying good-byes. 

One of the caddies brought a bag of man¬ 
goes, another two eggs. Cupid had four 
coconuts for them as farewell gifts. But best 
of all was an enormous piece of white coral 
which Jimmy had brought down to the boat 
for Toinette. They stood on deck with the 
funny little crowd and their friends called 
long and loudly, “Have a good trip.” 









xiii. Martinique 


J l PART I 

HE TRIP back to Port-of-Spain was quite smooth and even 
though the Browns had all disliked leaving peaceful and beautiful 
Tobago there was great anticipation over being in a city again. 
Such a wonderful thing happened while they were rushing from 
office to office their first morning with passports and tickets to check 
up on their transportation to Martinique. They came across some 
friends from home who were on their large power yacht in the har¬ 
bor on their way down the coast of South America. It was such fun 
going out to visit the Mizpah and to play with the darling little four¬ 
teen months old Marianne who lives on the yacht and has a regular 
play room on the upper deck. The commander had some beautiful 
radios aboard and tuned in on some fine music from all over the 
world. However, the homeward journey had to begin and so again 
in a tender, crowded with passengers and pulling a smaller boat 
filled with luggage of all kinds and descriptions, the Browns went 
out about five miles to the French ship La Flandre which in just 
twenty-four hours would carry them to Martinique. The children 
and Arabella felt so strange as they couldn’t speak French and none 



Martinique 

of the stewards of whom they 
began asking questions could 
understand what they wanted. 

Mopsey and Popsey pulled out 
their dictionary and began 
brushingup their vocabularies 
and all went well. 

Tony and Toinette 
were a little frightened 
about going to Martinique as 
Popsey had told them the sad 
story of the volcano, Mt. Pelee, 
which one afternoon thirty-six 
years ago had burst wide open and had destroyed the entire city of 
Saint Pierre with its thirty thousand inhabitants and even the ships 
that were in the harbor. Mopsey was not so anxious to see the scene 
of this horror and Arabella began to look almost pale, but Popsey, 
who really was very inquisitive about places, felt it would be foolish 
to pass by without stopping when it was on the way north. At the 
Customs he almost changed his mind, for never in all their travels 
had the Browns’ luggage been so thoroughly examined. Popsey 
always told Mopsey that she took too many things and this time she 
almost cried, for the inspector pulled out all the drawers of her in¬ 
novation trunk and pawed into everything. Tony had a sort of 
pop gun among his possessions and when it went off in the man’s 
face the Browns were really pleased. The golf clubs were almost 









y 2 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

taken away from them as there is no course on the island and 

it seemed as if they were considered some kind of weapon. 

After two hours and a half of misery they at last went their way 
to a pretty retreat called the Club Lido on the sea through the 
quaintest one-way streets with shops and houses and balconies so 
small they almost seemed like play houses. On one street all the 
buildings were painted in gay colored stripes—blue, green, yellow 
—as that shows goods are sold by the yard. It all looked so different 
from the English Islands in this town of Fort-de-France. But when 
Tony and Toinette saw where they could play and go bathing Pop- 
sey and Mopsey knew they would be happy, and they got settled for 
a few days. 

Toinette, who had the feelings of a good housekeeper, had 
been puzzled by plumbing arrangements all along the trip. As 
bathtubs are practically unknown one has to become accustomed 
to a cold shower. As the hotel only took care of ten people there was 
quite a bit of doubling up. Mopsey and Toinette shared one con¬ 
traption under a staircase in a little closet off from their room. They 
stepped into a concrete basin, pulled a chain to the shower which 
seemed in some way attached to kitchen pipes just back of them, 
and gurgled quite loudly. Of course Toinette had to show it to Tony, 
who had to experiment and unexpectedly got soaked several times. 
This made Arabella quite cross and she pointed out to him how 
good and polite the little French children were. He said, “I don’t 
like shaking hands all the time, I don’t.” He and Toinette had seen 
at once on the beach and even in the water how the little boys and 


Martinique ^ 

girls would bow and politely and solemnly shake hands. The day 
Tony brought Mei-Mei down to plunge her in the surf as her fur 
had become quite dusty during her weeks of travel, the little chil¬ 
dren gaped in astonishment and shrieked “Oh Maman. Oh Papa,” 
as their nurses told Arabella that a toy baby panda was utterly 
strange to them. They all asked to hold it and then thanked Tony 
very politely. 

The Browns intended going to the other end of Martinique to 
see Mount Pelee but only Popsey wanted to climb it and look into 
the crater of lava. On the drive over to Morne Rouge, the starting 
place for the climb, the children clamored all the time. Mopsey had 
turned a sickly yellow and Arabella kept saying “For de Lawd” as 
the road turned and turned. Popsey said about thirty-four turns per 
mile. They stopped at the quaint church of Balata where way at the 
top was a figure of Christ with hands outspread in blessing and as 
the clouds moved the figure seemed to move towards them. That 
comforted them as they drove and Toinette began to tease Popsey 
to let her climb with him. He had a solemn way of looking around 
the side of his glasses and saying “We’ll see.” 

Their horror over the curves was helped by a distraction when 
Arabella called, “Oh Master, Mistress, look at those ferns. More 
beautiful than in my Jamaica. ” They were actually driving through 
miles of tree ferns—trunks from twelve to fifteen feet high and then 
a spread of large ferns like an enormous umbrella. On one of the 
worst curves Popsey would stop and take a picture of these trees. 


74 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

The village of Morne Rouge has about five hundred souls and it 
seemed as if half of them gathered in the one street to find out just 
what this strange American family wanted to do. Popsey became 
involved in a long conversation accompanied by many gestures on 
both sides with several men, but finally a guide was chosen. Tony 
had hold of Mopsey’s hand and didn’t share the excitement of Toi¬ 
nette who hoped that her grandfather would take her, especially as 
she had heard the climb would only be about an hour. It had rained 
quite a bit and the clouds were low but at just that moment the sun 
peeked out and Popsey couldn’t refuse to let her go along. The 
others were driving to the new Saint Pierre to wander about among 
the ruins of the old, also to visit the museum with its relics of the dis¬ 
aster. It is a snug little building which has been erected through the 
kindness of some American gentleman and contains pieces of glass 
and china dug from the ashes and gives an idea of how the heat had 
changed them. There were several stereopticon machines showing 
the lovely Saint Pierre before the dreadful catastrophe of Mount 
Pelee’s eruption and also the other famous volcanoes of the world. 
Amid the fun of working these machines Tony forgot about the hor¬ 
ror of what really had happened here and the time went rapidly un¬ 
til Popsey and Toinette returned from their climb, both dripping 
wet and their poor little colored guide purple from the cold. It had 
taken them just fifty-two minutes to climb to the top of the crater 
where there was a cross erected to a young man who had fallen off 
the side in 1936. Popsey felt very sorry for the guide and inciden¬ 
tally both he and Toinette were quite tired although they wouldn’t 


Martinique ^ 

admit it to each other as they started back. Mopsey bustled along 
down the street to buy Popsey a new shirt because his was so wet, 
and came back with one that was much too large for him. Any¬ 
way it was dry and Toinette put on a fresh suit and sweater. After 
the two hikers were fairly rested the Browns started back to the Lido 
Club. Popsey was in rather a bad humor as he didn’t have as good a 
view from the top of Mount Pelee as he had expected. Toinette 
thought it a grand adventure. 


VjLJ PART II 

was a man who, when he made plans far ahead 
in traveling, became quite agitated on finding they couldn’t be 
carried out. He arrived puffing up the hill to the Lido and said ex¬ 
plosively, “We can’t leave tomorrow.” Mopsey said suddenly, 
“For pity’s sake, why not?” 

“There is a strike among the crew of the ship on which we were 
to sail and no one knows when it will be settled.” 

“What do we do?” 

“Well, we make up our minds to be calm and stay, or try to get 
on some other ship.” 

“Of course, we just can’t have our plans upset,” said Mopsey, 
and she was awfully cross because she and Arabella had disagreed 
about the packing, as the washing, still done on rocks, had ruined 


7 6 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 


some of their clothes and she wasn’t sure if the children had enough 
for the rest of the trip. 

“Hurrah, a strike!” fairly yelled Tony. He didn’t know what it 
was except something unusual by the expression of his grandpar¬ 
ents’ faces and he was for it. Finally it was decided that Popsey 
would send a lot of cables and see whether another ship could take 
them or perhaps some of them could fly, at least part of the way. 
That was Mopsey’s idea, as she enjoyed flying and an aeroplane 
came to Martinique once a week. 

The Brown family were funny when they learned that the cables 
were broken and that radio messages were terribly expensive, so 
little by little things were unpacked again and they decided to make 
the best of it, with one ear alert for the ringing of the phone in case 
news came of the settling of the strike. 

Tony kept reminding Popsey that he had promised him a live 
animal to take home and now he was getting quite anxious about it, 
as Popsey kept putting it off and so far he only had the turtles for 



Frankie. 

One day they lunched at the house 
of some friends. Here was the most 
unusual pet they had ever seen—a 
large black hen which sat in the cor¬ 
ner of the dining room on a pillow— 


and when her mistress called 
“Fugime,” she arose and came 
to her. 


Martinique ^ 

There were the best things to eat, chicks — some of Fugime’s 
doubtless, but Tony and Toinette were so excited they hardly could 
take a mouthful and kept asking to get up and pet the hen, who at 
first didn’t like it and then seemed to know that they were real 
friends. Later they played in the garden with a rooster and other 
hens, who often jumped on the window sill to look at their strange 
companion, but showed no desire to sit in the house with her. When 
they left, Tony kept saying, “Popsey, couldn’t I take a hen home?” 

Popsey didn’t think so and was wondering what they would do 
the next day if the strike were not settled. It wasn’t, and so the deci¬ 
sion was made to take a long drive to Trois Islet, the home of Jos¬ 
ephine, who became Napoleon’s wife and Empress of France. Toi¬ 
nette was interested because there was a large statue of her in the 
main square of Port-de-France and she had seen many pictures of 
her in some books of her mother’s. Tony didn’t really want to go 
because he heard there was another museum to visit and unless it 
had animals what was the use of it at all? Besides two museums in 
one week was a good deal for a little boy. 

What a surprise for Tony and what a disappointment for Mop- 
sey and Popsey, when, after another very curving drive they arrived 
at the humble village and found the small museum had a strange 
collection of stuffed animals, snake-skins and birds, and very few 
souvenirs of Josephine. Toinette at once discovered two cases of 
quite lovely butterflies and she was happy comparing them to a box 
of some Mopsey had bought for her to take home. 

The monkeys were very mangy and sad-looking and reminded 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
them of one tied to a tree on the road to the club, which they had 
named Anguish. Whenever they passed him he held one hand 
spread out over his little stomach as if he were in great pain or starv¬ 
ing, and tears seemed to come to his eyes. 

On the way back they stopped at the largest sugar mill on the 
island and were both fascinated and frightened over the enormous 
machines, the terrific noise they made, and over the way the cane 
was heaved in to be ground and oozed out in sugar syrup. 

When they reached home their breath was almost taken away 
by seeing a complete and vivid rainbow, a white moon quite high 
in the sky, and a flaming sunset all at the same time. 

Before going to bed, Tony and Toinette always had a contest as 
to how many June bugs they could catch and feed to Oscar and Os¬ 
wald, as they had named two enormous toads who used to appear 
from behind the piano as soon as it grew dark and the insects came 
in droves. Once Toinette ran to Mopsey shouting, “He’s vomiting 
terribly,” and she thought Tony was ill and simply rushed, up¬ 
setting two chairs to reach him quickly and was so annoyed when 
she saw Oswald was regurgitating insects. The children had fed him 
so many that his stomach refused to hold anymore. Mopsey was not 
at all fond of insect life and felt she had to put up with a good deal in 
one way or another, especially when she and Toinette were sitting 
at a table during their lesson hour and little lizards used to creep up 
and join them, being very still and contemplating them with fixed 
pinpoint eyes. Mopsey finally admitted that they were pretty and 
had the daintiest, most transparent little feet. She didn’t behave very 


Martinique 

well, however, when Popsey said he was going to take his family 
to a snake and mongoose fight. Word had come that the ship 
really would sail the next day and Popsey seemed to feel that this 
would be a sort of celebration. 

Quite a large group of people gathered around the wire netting 
enclosure and saw a most unpleasant struggle. The sympathy was all 
for the snake, even though snakes are the worst enemies of the work¬ 
ers in the cane fields. This one was shedding its skin and some of it 
got over one eye and the mongoose flew right at it and tore out its 
fangs. It gave a few mighty wriggles and the fight was all over. Then 
the mongoose escaped and everyone quite uselessly ran to capture 
her. Mopsey said she felt like doing what Oswald had done the night 
before. In fact all of the Browns thought the exhibition pretty dis¬ 
gusting. They quickly forgot about it in the bustle of leaving the 
next noon and Tony and Toinette, who had picked up quite a few 
French words, were using them in saying good-bye. It was not until 
they were aboard that Tony realized they were leaving Martinique 
without his own pet. He thought about it a good deal, as Popsey 
never broke a promise and so he knew there was still something to 
look forward to. 

The Saint Domingue was a cargo ship which also carried a few 
passengers between the smaller islands once a month. They sailed 
along the entire length of the coast of Martinique and had a farewell 
look at Pelee with a cloud like an enormous hat sitting right on her 
summit. 

There were so few passengers that the children spent most of 


80 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

their time asking questions about and watching a beautiful black¬ 
faced nun who, for the tropics, was dressed in a very heavy and un¬ 
comfortable habit. She seemed to walk miles around the little deck 
reading aloud to herself from a small prayer book or sat in a corner 
saying her beads. They found her name was Sister Angelique and 
she was considered a real angel of mercy among the very poor on the 
island of Guadelupe. 

They had looked forward to going ashore at Bassatere, the main 
town of the island, but did not reach there until nine at night and so 
watched as a little launch brought some passengers aboard. It was 
such fun seeing them come up out of the inky blackness. Then to 
bed—and such a good sleep and a late one the next day, as there 
was nothing to do except watch the little boats come out from the 
harbors of St. Bartholomew and St. Martin, small islands where the 
largest village has only about three hundred inhabitants. Such 
anticipation about St. Thomas and St. Johns where they would 
arrive early the next morning. Popsey called them “our own is¬ 
lands,” meaning that they belonged to the United States. 


xiv. St. Thomas and St. Johns 


rWr n 


J FTER a seven o’clock breakfast the landing at 
Charlotte Amalie was made at a dock. This pleased Mopsey a good 
deal. She had admitted she was all worn out bobbing about in funny 
little boats; but, as this was a coaling station, they had to dodge 
the enormous crane which was already at work, and walk through 
quite a lot of cinders until they reached a car. It was such a grand 
day and the Browns were so excited driving up the hill to Blue¬ 
beard’s Castle Hotel. The old tower was said to have been lived in 
by a man with many, many wives and had also been a pirate strong¬ 
hold, but now was the center of a group of lovely white bungalows. 

They were installed in one entirely by themselves and it had 
bathrooms with real tubs and also real hot water and it had a ve¬ 
randa all the way around. Oh—but the view! The cheerful red roofs 
belonged to an old Danish village and the beautiful harbor had the 
most startling shading of green and blue water they had seen any¬ 
where. Schooners, motor boats, and hydroplanes were anchored. 
All seemed busy and important. Amid the work of getting settled 
Tony disappeared and when he finally turned up 
81 


once more 



Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

he was almost frantic with excitement and 
went into a secret conference with Toi¬ 
nette, who then dashed off with him. It 
^ seems he had discovered a litter of the dar- 



lingest dachshund puppies and had 


made friends first with Hedda, the moth¬ 
er, before she would let him touch them. 


In the meantime Popsey had gone to the 
town and Tony could hardly wait until he 
got back to show him his great discovery. 


When he came at luncheon time he had so many things to tell 


about what they had to do that Tony was afraid he couldn’t get 


him to go and see the puppies. He managed to lure him to their 
enclosure, however, and Popsey was also very pleased. 

As Tony and Toinette were so fond of animals it seemed strange 
that they were willing to go with the Grant children to see another 
fight and this time of all things, it was to be a cock fight. Arabella 
said, “Such heathenish goings on.” But they went off and soon re¬ 
turned quite gay and said it hadn’t been bad at all. The cocks didn’t 
have little knives attached to their feet as they do in some countries, 
but just an extra sharp claw, and they flew at each other as in a reg¬ 
ular barnyard fight and finished each other off. 

The next day, a very nice man whose name was Mr. Stevens 
asked Popsey and Tony to come out on an overnight excursion on 
his forty-foot yacht and they, of course, accepted. They started atone 
o’clock the following afternoon and made straight for St. Johns, 


St. Thomas and St. Johns 83 

which is about eight miles from St. Thomas. Tony found a fishing 
rod as soon as they were under way but didn’t get even a strike. 
After a short swim at St.Johns, Mr. Stevens took them to the islet 
called Dead Man’s Chest, which had formerly been a pirate strong¬ 
hold. It was very rough going over and Popsey came very near fall¬ 
ing overboard. 

They scrambled up the side of the tiny island to look at the nests 
of the booby birds. Hundreds of little birds had just come out of 
their eggs and looked very ugly with their long bills and entirely 
bare bodies. 

Later, as the boat was rounding a corner of the island Tony 
yelled at the top of his voice and sure enough he had a big mackerel 
at the end of his line. He pulled and pulled and finally got the fish 
in, only to find that it weighed all of eight and a half pounds. 

Mr. Stevens anchored at a lovely little place called Cinnamon 
Bay for the night and so with the waves gently lapping at the side of 
the boat, and the stars twinkling over¬ 
head, they turned into their bunks and 
slept a long, long time. 

Early the next morning after a large 
breakfast, the three adventurers got in¬ 
to the dinghy and started for 
shore, which was only a few yards 
away. There they mounted three 
stolid native horses and started 
on a long ride to the other side of 






84 Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

St. Johns. They saw the crumbling ruins of houses which a 
hundred years ago had been teeming with people. Tony was par¬ 
ticularly impressed with the termite nests, which were four times as 
large as a basket ball. 

They rode for four hours, only stopping for a few minutes to look 
at some very primitive Carib drawings, which hundreds of years be¬ 
fore had been chiseled out of the rock with crude instruments. From 
the top of the island they saw numerous other islands—Tortolla, 
Just Van Dyck and St. Croix. 

Tired and happy, they got back to the boat and started for St. 
Thomas. The day was complete, for Tony caught a ten-pound bar¬ 
racuda, which unfortunately he had to let go, as barracudas aren’t 
good to eat. 

Meanwhile Mopsey and Toinette and Arabella had been very 
happy at St. Thomas. The turtles had lived in their tin box so long 
that Toinette took them to the beach with her and built a little 
fence of shells around them so they would not escape into the ocean. 
It was a superb beach with the whitest sand and the water was that 
strange jade green which they liked very much. Unfortunately, it 
was a long higglety-pigglety walk down and climb back and 
Mopsey had on the wrong beach shoes and slipped several times 
and was quite indignant that the path had not been fixed up and 
“sputtered” a good deal, as Popsey always called it. 

They took a drive to Blackbeard’s Castle, another massive stone 
tower and also an old time pirate stronghold, where they had a 
lovely view. It was said forty islands could be seen. Toinette imag- 


St. Thomas and St. Johns 85 

ined she could spy Popsey and Tony bobbing about in the distance. 

Once they drove to the Marine Barracks and the Lindbergh 
landing field, where the wonderfully heroic flier came to the islands 
on agoodwill tour. Next they drove to the“Cha-cha village,’’where 
a colony of French people live and braid “Jippa-Jappa” hats and 
lovely baskets and purses. That reminded Mopsey that she must 
visit some shops and so they drove back to Charlotte Amalie and 
she treated Toinette to a chocolate ice cream soda, which was the 
first she had had since leaving home. Oh, but itwasgood! Then they 
bought a lot of perfume for Mummie and friends at home and gay 
colored scarves at the nicest French shops and then all sorts of straw 
things at the Co-operative, which is where the natives bring their 
own work. “A little like the Woman’s Exchange at home,” said 
Mopsey. 

The one Danish shop was visited, too, and there they bought the 
most wistful monkey and kind-faced cow and two saucy dogs of 
Royal Copenhagen China. 

When Popsey and Tony came back, they all had so much to tell 
each other, but everyone was tired and willing to go to bed early, 
which was wise as they didn’t realize what was in store for them the 
next day. 

The morning stillness was disturbed by Popsey’s shouting from 
the veranda, “Yes, I’m sure it is—yes, it is the Yankee .” The Browns 
all came tumbling out in various stages of night clothing and there 
in the harbor was Captain Irving Johnson’s famous two-masted 
ninety-foot schooner on its way back from a seventeen months’ trip 


86 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
around the world. As Popsey knew the captain, he could hardly 
wait to get dressed and go down to see him and meet the young men 
who are taught to sail his ship and become expert seamen. 

Later in the morning Popsey took Tony and Toinette down to 
the docks to see if theycould find Captain Johnson. It just happened 
that he had come ashore a few minutes before and was in the native 
store. He greeted Popsey in a friendly way and asked all three of 
them to come out to the Yankee and they all got into a little motor 
boat and put-putted out to the schooner. Popsey had a long talk 
with Captain Johnson and Mrs. Johnson was very nice to Tony and 
Toinette and showed them all over the boat and introduced them 
to her two-year-old son Arthur, who behaved like an old sailor. He 
would climb the masts, walk with his feet wide spread and keep his 
little arms going like a wind-mill. 

Of course, Tony was all excited, hearing about the wonderful 
places at which the schooner had stopped—the Galapagos Islands, 
Pitcairn, Tahiti and the Cape of Good Hope, and decided that when 
he was old enough he wanted to go with a ship around the world, too. 

Popsey was impressed by the number of people living on the 
boat, twenty in all, and by the way in which the young men, who 
for the most part had never had any previous 
sailing experience, handled the Yankee. They 
stayed on for “mess” at twelve o’clock, which 
was very good, and after many thanks to Cap¬ 
tain and Mrs. Johnson went back to shore to 
tell Mopsey about their experiences. 














xv. Homeward Bound 



'HE VISIT to the Yankee had been so interesting the 
Browns were in a great bustle in the end getting themselves 
off. They were to sail on the Fort Townsend in 
the middle of the afternoon and in the morning 
everyone was busy and rather secretive. Arabella 
had acted especially odd until it was discovered 
that she had bought the dearest pair of vivid 
blue parakeets for Tony and then 
Popsey appeared with his great sur¬ 
prise, only everyone pretended to 
be more surprised than they really 
were; one of the frisky dachshund 
puppies, the little fellow named 
Hannibal. He had a small kennel 
made for him with his name painted 
on it in large letters. 

When the Browns started in a 
tender for their last trip across the 

87 








88 


Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 
bay, they really were a sight amid all their baggage. Mopsey was 
carrying Mei-Mei, and an enormous bouquet of lilies some friends 
had brought her. Tony held his tin box of turtles in one hand, the 
other was on the head of Hannibal in a kennel at his feet. Toinette 
had her toy box of butterflies under her arm and also was helping 
Arabella with the birds, which twittered in a frightened way. 

Popsey was in charge and had a sort of nervous manner, as he 
knew something more was still to come. The boys on the Yankee 
gave them a long cheer as they went by and in a few minutes they 
were climbing up the side of the Townsend . Popsey at once disap¬ 
peared and later came back with a whimsical look in his eyes and 
led them all up on the highest sun deck and there in five cases were 
the rare snakes he had been searching for in Tobago and Trinidad, 
sent from the Hindu’s little zoo in Port-of-Spain. There was a bush- 
master, a fer-de-lance, a parrot snake, a small boa constrictor and a 
rat snake. The old Hindu had made good his promise of securing 
these and Popsey was having them all sent to his favorite zoo at 
home. If he hadn’t been sure they couldn’t escape through their 
close wire covering, Mopsey would have been worried, but she only 
announced grimly, “I don’t like this hobby at all.” Just then a friend 
of Popsey’s came along and said, “Well, Mr. Brown, I see you’re 
traveling with your Noah’s Ark.” Popsey didn’t seem to think that 
as amusing as the rest did. 

With the care of their pets and the puppy, the favorite of the 
whole ship, the five days passed very quickly. Saturday morning 
everyone awoke very, very early as breakfast was served at six- 


Homeward Bound 


89 



thirty. Tony and Toinette were down among the first with their 
city clothes on, but they were so excited they couldn’t eat any¬ 
thing but a paw-paw; besides, they knew it would be their last one 
for a long time. 

Several hours before the ship actually landed in New York, the 
Browns were hanging over the railing watching the tall buildings 
coming closer and closer. It was all very thrilling and sad too, be¬ 
cause their beautiful trip was over and they had to say good-bye to 
all their friends on board. 

As the Fort Townsend came into the dock, Dr. and Mrs. Brown 
could be seen waving handkerchiefs. Soon the gang plank was 








go Tony and Toinette in the Tropics 

let down and the Browns came tumbling off with Arabella ending 
the procession and looking as if this were just a common everyday 
experience in her life. All threw their arms about one another and 
shouted for joy, so that no one could be understood. 

When Tony and Toinette went to bed that night, all the grown¬ 
ups tucked them in several times; last of all, Popsey. “Well, chil¬ 
dren,” he said, “it was a fine trip.” 

“Oh, Popsey,” said Tony and Toinette together, “will you take 
us again some time?” 

Popsey only muttered something softly about how he and Mop- 
sey might want to see a little more of the world, but he did have a 
twinkle in his eye and the wrinkle at the corner of his nose and 
finally he said, “We’ll see—we’ll see.” 






























































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